POLITICO 28 — Who to watch in 2018

It’s impossible to know what the coming year holds for the European Union. But one thing is certain: The bloc’s leaders will spend much of the next 12 months wrestling with its future.

That’s why Christian Lindner tops our list of the 28 people who will shape Europe in 2018. The pugnacious liberal leader occupies a key place in Germany’s politics: at the head of a conservative, Euro-cautious segment of the electorate. By pulling the plug on coalition talks in November, Lindner cast his country into political turmoil and ensured his place at the center of the ensuing debate.

In a year in which the Franco-German motor is likely to drive the discussion on Europe’s direction, that puts him in a position to act as the brake. More than any other politician, it’s Lindner — whether in or out of government — who will define just how far things can go.

This is the third installment of our guide to the people to watch in the year ahead: 18 men and 10 women from 28 different countries — politicians, business leaders, artists, writers — you can expect to find in the thick of the action in the coming months.

Populism has likely crested — at least for now — leaving the Continent’s leaders free to address the underlying causes of the phenomenon.

As in previous years, we cast a wide net across the Continent, soliciting suggestions from readers and members of previous editions of our list. Then, in several rounds of debate, we hashed out a ranking in order of impact. Our goal: to find those who are truly — and sometimes unexpectedly — shaping their countries or the EU. Simply holding a powerful office (sorry, fans of French President Emmanuel Macron) isn’t enough to automatically qualify.

Lindner’s first-place finish follows two years in which the top of our list was defined by the growing wave of populism (Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in 2016) or the reaction to it (London Mayor Sadiq Khan in 2017). It’s a change that reflects a feeling in Europe that, while populism may not have receded, it has likely crested — at least for now — leaving the Continent’s leaders free to address the underlying causes of the phenomenon.

Politics is back in Europe, which is why eight out of the top 10 people on our list are practitioners of, with apologies to Prussian General Carl von Clausewitz, “war by other means.” They include: the brain behind Brexit, U.K. Environment Secretary Michael Gove (No. 2); French Labor Minister and Macron’s iron fist Muriel Pénicaud (No. 3); Laura Boldrini, president of Italy’s lower house of parliament and a crusader against misogynistic online abuse (No. 5); and the European Parliament’s Brexit rapporteur Guy Verhofstadt (No. 10).

Of course, politicians aren’t alone in driving the European debate. Many a pol will suffer shivers of fear if they fall into the crosshairs of Austrian television host Armin Wolf (No. 11); Swiss populist-buster Flavia Kleiner (No. 17); or Slovenian investigative journalist Anuška Delić (No. 6). And, from the world of culture, René Redzepi, the Danish chef and owner of the illustrious Noma restaurant (No. 26), is sure to leave his mark. As is Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, the Lithuanian conductor of the U.K.’s City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (No. 27).

We hope you’ll enjoy reading and look forward to hearing what you think of this year’s POLITICO 28.